### IN THE TENTH COURT OF APPEALS
No. 10 - 17 - 00029 - CV
SANDRA K. BULLARD , Appellant v. REBECCA ANN STIFFLEM IRE AND LARRY STIFFLEMIRE , Appellee s

From the 21st District Court Burleson County, Texas Trial Court No. 28,310

ORDER OF REFERRAL TO MEDI ATION
The Legislature has provided for the resolution of disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures. Se e T EX
. C IV
. P RAC
. & R EM
. C ODE A NN
. §§ 154.001

- 154.073 (West 2011). The policy behind ADR is stated in the statute: “It is the policy of this state to encourage the peaceable resolution of disputes . . . and the early settlement of pending litigation thro ugh voluntary settlement procedures.” Id . § 154.002 (WestBullard v. Stifflemire Page 2

2011). Mediation is a form of ADR. Mediation is a mandatory but non

- binding settlement conference, conducted with the assistance of a mediator. Mediation is private, confidential, and privilege d. We find that this appeal is appropriate for mediation. See id. § 154.021(a) (West 2011); 10 TH T EX
. A PP
. (W ACO ) L OC . R. 9. The Court assigns Hon. Rick Morris as the mediator. He can be contacted at the following address, phone number, or email:
Hon . Rick Morris P.O. Box 1163 Salado, TX 76571 (254) 718

- 3388 rickmorris711@gmail.com
Mediation must occur within 30 days after the date of this Order. No less than seven calendar days before the first scheduled mediation session, each party must provide the mediator and all other parties with an information sheet setting forth the party’s positions about the issues that need to be resolved. At or before the first session, all parties must produce all information necessary for the mediator to
unde rstand the issues presented. The mediator may require any party to supplement the information required by this Order. Named parties must be present during the entire mediation process, and each party that is not a natural person must be represented by a n employee, officer, agent, or representative with authority to bind the party to settlement.Bullard v. Stifflemire Page 3

Immediately after mediation, the mediator must advise this Court, in writing, only that the case did or did not settle and the amount of the mediator’s fee paid by each party. The mediator’s fees will be taxed as costs. Unless the mediator agrees to mediate without fee, the mediator must negotiate a reasonable fee with the parties, and the parties must each pay one

- half of the agreed

- upon fee directly to the me diator. Failure or refusal to attend the entire mediation as scheduled may result in the imposition of sanctions, as permitted by law. Any objection to this Order must be filed with this Court and served upon all parties within ten days after the dat e of this Order, or it is waived. We refer this appeal to mediation. The appeal and all appellate deadlines are suspended as of the date of this Order. The suspension of the appeal is automatically lifted when the mediator’s report to the
Court is received. If the matter is not resolved at mediation, any deadline that began to run and had not expired by the date of this Order will begin anew as of the date the mediator’s report to the Court is received. Any document filed by a party after the date of this Order and prior to the filing of the mediator’s report will be deemed filed on the same day, but after, the mediator’s report is received.
PER CURIAM Before Chief Justice Gray, Justice Davis Order issued and filed January 16, 2019